In some ways, it wasn\u2019t even acting.<\/p>\n
The four boys who starred in the blockbuster movie \u201cStand By Me\u201d looked like they were kids who were lifelong friends that enjoyed spending time with each other.<\/p>\n
Maybe they didn\u2019t know each other their entire lives, but the youngsters certainly bonded when making the movie 40 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we really were (close), we did so much together when we weren\u2019t working,\u201d said WIl Wheaton, the main character of the movie based off a Stephen King story. \u201cYou put a bunch of kids on location together and give us per diem for arcades and fast food, we\u2019re going to have a great time. That was really what happened. We very much came together as a group of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corey Feldman (far left), Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton star as friends searching for a dead body in “Stand By Me.”<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why Wheaton, along with co-stars Corey Feldman and Jerry O\u2019Connell, is looking forward to Dec. 5 as much as fanatics of the film.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when the trio will reunite for a \u201cStand By Me\u201d screening at Count Basie Center for the Arts<\/a> in Red Bank, with post-film conversation with the three.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a chance to ask the boys, who are now grown men, anything they want about the film.<\/p>\n Was the train real?<\/p>\n What about the leeches?<\/p>\n Was Chopper really vicious?<\/p>\n These questions and so many more will be answered by Wheaton and company. It\u2019s one of three stops on the tour, and something Wheaton, who has also starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Toy Soldiers” and played himself in “Big Bang Theory,” is really looking forward to.<\/p>\n \u201cLike any group of friends with kids, you don\u2019t talk as much as you\u2019d like, but 40 years later, the three of us who survived, we\u2019re in contact with one another,\u201d Wheaton said, acknowledging the death of the fourth star, River Phoenix. \u201cWe\u2019re so excited to come together. We have been talking for a couple of months, getting to know each other better as adults. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Being on the road in a van with them, I cannot wait.\u201d<\/p>\n The night should be a fun reunion for the three, but even better for fans who grew up watching the movie.<\/p>\n “Stand By Me” stars Corey Feldman, Jerry O\u2019Connell and WIl Wheaton are coming to the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Dec. 5, to celebrate the movie’s 40th anniversary.<\/p>\n Actually, the movie transcends generations. It\u2019s an all-time classic that people of all ages enjoy today.<\/p>\n What Wheaton finds so special is that it means something different to everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has their favorite part,\u201d Wheaton said. \u201cMaking fun of Vern. Or when I say ‘I\u2019ll only shoot Ace.’ Chris saying \u2018I wish I could go some place where nobody knows me.\u2019 Everyone loves the \u2018Barfaroma.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cSo interesting to give a really thoughtful answer. Everyone has their own. Those are the ones that emerged over the years, but everyone takes it as a whole. I have people tell me they have a shorthand with their friends like we do with each other. The movie reminds them of it. I know women who still say \u2018skin it\u2019 with their girlfriends. They did it at the time and they still do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wheaton is still entertaining his fans after all these years, but he\u2019s leading his voice to a new endeavor \u2212 a podcast.<\/p>\n Known for his speaking roles in movies, shows and audio books, his latest creation is \u201cIt\u2019s Story Time With Wil Wheaton.\u201d <\/a>It not only allows him the chance to do what he loves, read, he uses it to give exposure to authors.<\/p>\n Described as \u201ca weekly audiobook podcast, featuring stories that Wil loves, pulled from the pages of Uncanny<\/a>, Lightspeed<\/a>, On Spec<\/a>, and others. You\u2019re going to meet authors you don\u2019t yet know you love, including some who are being narrated for the very first time. Listeners will travel through time, meet some gods, watch people fall in and out of love, and more, brought to life by (Wheaton\u2019s) remarkable narrative voice.”<\/p>\n It\u2019s truly a passion project.<\/p>\n \u201cI reached out to LeVar Burton because I loved his podcast so much,\u201d Wheaton said. \u201cWhen he ended it, I said \u2018I have this idea, am I stepping on your toes?\u2019 He said you\u2019re not stepping on my toes, you\u2019re standing on my shoulders and I\u2019m so honored to help you. He\u2019s a mentor.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of the work we\u2019re doing. It\u2019s fun for me, new stories and characters every week. I\u2019m so grateful for the opportunity. If it became the thing in my life, my primary job until I retire, I would not be happier. I want that more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Wheaton, who has a wife and two sons, 34 and 36, continues making art that people enjoy. And on Dec. 5, he\u2019ll tell the story of one of his earliest projects.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a night he\u2019s looking forward to.<\/p>\n \u201cThe movie means a lot to so many, and we just got lucky,\u201d Wheaton said. \u201cOne of the reasons, it\u2019s so relatable. It\u2019s about growing up. It\u2019s about our relationship. It\u2019s about being a parent. It\u2019s about being lost. The moments are so important until they are years behind you in the mirror.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been talking about the movie for four decades, no matter where they are, no matter what their gender. They\u2019ll say here\u2019s how that moment was relevant specific to my life.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew we were doing something good. I knew we were creating good art. But did I think this is going to be special? I had no freaking idea it was going to be this. I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d talk about it 40 years later. I knew ‘Star Trek’ was huge and global. I was very excited to be talking about that for the rest of my life. We were 12, but we didn\u2019t understand this was going to be this special. It really was.\u201d<\/p>\n Go:<\/strong> “Stand By Me”: The Film and Its Stars 40 Years Later, featuring Corey Feldman, Jerry O\u2019Connell and Wil Wheaton; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5; Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For tickets and more information, visit thebasie.org\/events\/stand-by-me<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n